Sebastian Kempe again showed he is rising to the top of the sailing world by finishing as the highest under-21 sailor at the Vilamoura Grand Prix.

After a good year in which he won his first race in elite senior level at the French Olympic Week Regatta in April and a silver medal at the Junior Pan American Games in August, Kempe rounded off 2025 by finishing thirteenth in Portugal.

Competing against 79 of the best sailors in the world, some of whom have been sailing the Ilca 7 since before Kempe was born, the Bermudian finished thirteenth overall after eight races in the North Atlantic Ocean.

It was a frustrating start to the regatta for Kempe, who had his worst performances in the opening two races, finishing sixteenth and 25th, with the latter result eventually being discarded as his worst result.

Despite some frustrating delays as a result of a lack of wind, Kempe finished in the top 15 in the next six races, with a best finish of fourth in race five and ninth in the concluding contest.

After the eight races, Kempe finished the regatta as the best under-21 sailor and thirteenth overall on 77 points

Victory went to Pavlos Kontides, from Cyprus, who finished on 32 points. The podium places were filled by Italy’s Lorenzo Chiavarini and Elliott Hansen, from Great Britain, who finished with 33 and 35 points respectively.